Thomas Baines (1799–1867) was born in Caynham, England, as the son of the Rev. James Johnson Baines, and came to Canada c.1821. Baines worked as a land and immigrant agent with

Peter Robinson Peter Robinson may refer to: Entertainment * Peter Robinson (sideshow artist) (1873–1947), American actor and sideshow performer, known for his appearance in film ''Freaks'' (1932) * J. Peter Robinson (born 1945), British musician and film score ...

, most notably settling the Irish immigrants in the Bathurst district and Peterborough, Ontario. He was later commissioned as an officer in the 1st Carleton Regiment and was made Deputy Auditor General. Due to his experience of land assessment and transaction in Ontario, he was appointed as Secretary of the

Clergy Corporation {{One source, date=June 2009 The Clergy Corporation, or the Clergy Reserve Corporation of Upper Canada, existed to oversee, manage and lease the Clergy reserves of Upper Canada, a large amount of land in Upper Canada that had been put aside for the ...

in 1833 and executed the sale of the controversial Clergy Reserves. By 1838, the Corporation was essentially dissolved and Thomas was appointed

Crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

Agent for the Home District. He continued in this role until 1855 when he tendered his resignation to the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

following allegations of default. He was shown to be in arrears (the greatest default in pre-Confederation Ontario) and so was forced to cede all his property to the government. From 1844–63 he owned a Brewery at Queen and Niagara Streets called the West Toronto Brewery while he also owned a mill at Innisville."Garrison Common History: The Breweries" in ''The Fife and Drum: The Newsletter of the Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common'' v.8 No.2, Sept. 2004; Sneath, A.W. ''Brewed in Canada: The Untold Story of Canada's 350-Year-Old Brewing Industry'' Dundurn Press Ltd., 2001; Westfall, W. ''The Founding Moment: Church Society, and the Construction of Trinity College'' London: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2002 The Brewery was sold to Patrick Cosgrave in 1863 and continued making beer for another eighty years. He was also involved in the incorporation of a number of companies in the Toronto area including the Western Assurance Company in 1851, as well as the Victoria Mining Company and the Toronto and Georgian Bay Canal Company in 1856. Thomas Baines died in 1867 at Toronto. He married twice, first to Georgina Catherine Lodge Wilcocks by who he had one surviving child; his second marriage was to Catherine, daughter of William Bancks, the founder of

Bewdley, Ontario Bewdley is a compact rural community in the township municipality of Hamilton, Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, with a population of about 650 people. The community was founded by William Bancks, whose ancestral home was Bewdley Bewd ...

, by whom there were many other children, including Dr.

Allen Mackenzie Baines Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Unive ...

the first Physician-in-Chief of the Hospital for Sick Children.

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baines, Thomas 1799 births 1867 deaths People from Old Toronto